Well, it's not Lisa Kleypas' best, but it's still pretty good. I was not captivated by the main characters at first, but they did grow on me. The hero, Devon, inherits an earldom along with a rundown indebted estate, and it was a bit unrealistic when he does a quick turnaround from wanting to dump it, to deciding to make a go of it, after meeting Kathleen and her sisters-in-law. But OK, I'll roll with it. Kathleen, the heroine, is the widow of the previous earl. However there is barely any backstory on either the hero or heroine, just a few small hints about what made them the kind of people they are. For instance, why is the hero such a commitment-phobe? Family background? Previous bad experiences in love? I have no idea. Certain plot points, like the conflict about cutting up tenant farms to bring through a railroad line, sort of got dropped and never picked up again. But there is lots and lots of detail about Victorian mourning garb, more than I needed to know. After about the halfway point, there is not much plot development at all, but a lot of long drawn out love scenes. And although they are well written and enjoyable, some of them were, dare I say it, gratuitous to the story?
Anyway, I only read those love scenes on my second time through the book. What happened was, as soon as Rhys Winterborne appeared, and he started to become involved with Helen, the oldest sister-in-law, I started skipping through the pages, looking for the parts about them. I was more captivated by this subplot than the main story, and I will totally be counting the days until "Marrying Mr. Winterborne" is released.
I also enjoyed Devon's younger brother as a character, and Helen's two younger sisters, as silly as they were, made for good comic relief.
Like I said, not a whole lot of plot, no villains, no spies, no wars, no mystery, no major issue that would prevent the H&h from having a happy ending. There is one traumatic event, which I won't give away, but no permanent harm comes to anyone. This review actually sounds more critical than I meant it to be, because Kleypas writes as well as ever, and even her not-best is better than a lot of other stuff out there.
P.S. Terribly inappropriate cover, because the heroine is in mourning for her late husband, and wears nothing but black throughout the entire book.
Anyway, I only read those love scenes on my second time through the book. What happened was, as soon as Rhys Winterborne appeared, and he started to become involved with Helen, the oldest sister-in-law, I started skipping through the pages, looking for the parts about them. I was more captivated by this subplot than the main story, and I will totally be counting the days until "Marrying Mr. Winterborne" is released.
I also enjoyed Devon's younger brother as a character, and Helen's two younger sisters, as silly as they were, made for good comic relief.
Like I said, not a whole lot of plot, no villains, no spies, no wars, no mystery, no major issue that would prevent the H&h from having a happy ending. There is one traumatic event, which I won't give away, but no permanent harm comes to anyone. This review actually sounds more critical than I meant it to be, because Kleypas writes as well as ever, and even her not-best is better than a lot of other stuff out there.
P.S. Terribly inappropriate cover, because the heroine is in mourning for her late husband, and wears nothing but black throughout the entire book.
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